Although Hopes Die Last are based out of Rome, Italy, this screamo hardcore collective is ready to devastate the world at large with their super intensive melodies. Their latest assault to the senses is Trust No One, now available from Standby Records. They’ve already toured in the States and Japan, and are now preparing to hit the road once again to ambush the masses with their fiery sonnets. Here is a recent interview we conducted one of the HDL members to find out more about their staggering new album, stories from the road, fearsome cover art, and other hot and heavy topics. Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Hopes Die Last, and how long the band has been together. Hello to all readers! This is Daniele [Tofani], the screamer of Hopes Die Last. The band has been playing together since 2006 and after several changes in the line-up (including myself). We’ve got to the current and definitive formation.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there? We live in Rome and to be honest our local music scene is screwed up like our country. But among all the brand new bands, I can name some of our fellow citizens, who are very worthwhile: Fear The Sirens, Swanshore, Device, and The Avalanche Diaries.

Why should one Never Trust The Hazel Eyed? Because I have a bit of hazel eyes and I’m a motherfucker! So my advice is stay away from such people (hahaha)

Select any other two songs from Trust No One and what inspired the lyrical content? ‘This Song Plays Suicide’: we wrote this song after the suicide of a friend of ours and we have dedicated the lyrics to him, trying to identify ourselves with what he has thought a second before doing that extreme action.

‘Life After Me Life After You’. This is dedicated to the memory of a beloved person in my family.

What was the overall experience like playing here in the States and any chance you might be back soon? I joined the band after the US tour so I haven’t lived the American experience, but be prepared, because very soon, you will hear of a TRUST NO ONE American Tour.

Any strange or scary stories from the road that you could share? There would be millions of stories to tell, but the first one that comes to my mind is when we spent a night chasing a son of a bitch throughout Vienna after he punched-in the face of one of our mates. We really wanted to beat the shit out of him, but fortunately for him, he was very fast and we were too drunk to keep his pace.

What could one expect from a live Hopes Die Last show?. I can sum it up with a title of one of our songs: we unleash hell.

Being from Italy, how did you wound up signing to Standby Records? They got in touch with us through our Myspace profile many years ago (when Myspace was still useful and functional for bands) and from that moment a long-lasting working relationship was born, and still it continues through the years.

You are signed to a label called Inyaface Records in Japan. How did that come about and have you ever been to Japan? We signed the contract with Inyaface Records in the same way as we did with the Standby Records. We’ve been to Japan in 2009 to promote Six Years Home album and we will go back again in June to promote TRUST NO ONE. We can’t wait for it, last time it was wicked! Japanese fans are insane, we love them.

Who did the cover artwork on Trust No One and how much input did you have on it? I’m glad you asked this question: the cover artwork, as the whole concept of TRUST NO ONE, was designed by my dear friend and graphic designer Yuri Santurri, who oversaw the entire project. We liked the idea and we trusted his talent.

When you look back on your debut album Six Years Home, what do you think of it now? I think it’s a good album for the period it has been released. Sure, if I could go back I would change a lot of things now. No artist is fully satisfied with all his earlier works.

What’s up next for Hopes Die Last? We are promoting the new record world-wide and scheduling some new tours around the world throughout 2012! Check our Facebook (www.facebook.com/hopesdielastofficial) to keep up on all our news. We are very excited for the year.

Any final words of wisdom? I ‘d like to suggest all the readers to buy our new record, TRUST NO ONE!

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! Thanks so much for the interview.